John asked what lives in you:pillars 13

1 John 1: 5-10

5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The new age movement is many things but new is not one of them. The packaging is often redone and stated in various ways but the basic precepts are as old as the tower babel. Oprah speaks of the many ways to god but the truth is that scientology, Native American spiritualism, Buddhism, universalism, psychology, self-help teachings, humanism, false christianity and a thousand variations are at their core the same teaching and all will bring you directly to the door step of the god of this world. We see Christ and anti-Christ in that as Jesus is the door that brings us to the light of becoming one with God so there is a door that brings us to the darkness of Adams iniquity to make himself as god. This door is the self.

The religion of man, for they are in truth all the same, states that at the core of a man is either god, the universal spirit, a clear consciousness, goodness, or whatever description and that by enlightenment or removal of wrong emotions, desires, thinking and understandings man can become what he is intended to be. When the bells and whistles are removed it believes in short that the knowledge of good and evil is sustenance to become as god is.

Though the scripture is often used by those who hold such beliefs to validate their teaching it pieced, parted and modified scripture pulled out as if it can stand on its own without relationship to all else in the scripture.

John tells us God is light and has no darkness in him at all. Not only does this statement of truth stand against the religion of self-improvement but it raises the question of how can the darkness of this world exist and at the same time God be omnipresent. The answer to this is by a covering or a veil.

What happens to darkness when it is exposed to light? It ceases to exist. For this very reason when Adam choice to be his own illuminating force God enveloped this world with His mercy to prevent men from ceasing to exist. This is the positive of a covering but there is also a negative; if something is covered it is separated from our presence.

So it was that Adams choice to be self-generated caused us to be separated; God calls this separation death and darkness. Our God added to His mercy the gift of redemption. The effective working of this redemption is that Gods life becomes once more the source of life for those who place their trust and dependence on Him. We call this process of His life being restored in us grace.

This grace is the means by which the dependence on the life generated by the flesh is removed. It has its basic principle shown to us in the token of circumcision. Once the carnal thinking of man could take hold of the precept of a covering of flesh needing to be removed in order to be in the covenant of God with man then God would build on this teaching.

The teaching of a veil, both over Moses face as the glory of God emanated from him and by the veil in both tabernacle and temple separating even the ministers of God from His presence in the most holy place, shows us our separation.

 In genesis God has said “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh”. The prophets expand the teaching of circumcision by showing the separation of our flesh with uncircumcised lips, ears, eyes, and heart. Until we are brought to Messiah and how He has carried us into the removing of the flesh by His death, which is true circumcision and removing of the veil, on the cross making us dead to the life generated by our self but living to His generation of life in us by His Spirit.

 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

So John tells us if we are still in the darkness of trying to generate our own life but claiming we are sharing in His life and light we lie. Our being is not as His being

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

However if we rely, depend, and expect that our life is Him living in us then we are one in His life and thereby one with the Father and also one another. In this fellowship we are not merely covered by mercy and forgiveness but rather we are cleansed. For sin is when we do that which is in opposition to the law but the law is a description of the life of God. When we trust Him to share His life in us and live through us our old sin is crucified in Messiah and we are cleansed of our old bondage to that sin.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If we allow ourselves to believe that we can produce actions and desires that are pleasing to God from the flesh of the self which we received from Adam then we deceive ourselves and the truth of who we are and our separation from Him is not in our mind and heart.

If we will believe and confess not only the uselessness of ourselves to produce life but also that the very attempt to do such is a result of the prideful sin that brings only death. Then we find His forgiveness and that he cleanses from all unrighteousness; for His life shared in us is the same life described as righteousness.

If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

How often have we heard others or ourselves say “I am a good person” or claim compared to the next guy their wrong is a little thing. To say such a thing is to call God a liar. Do not think within yourself that such a thing only applies to the lost; our churches are filled with those who will say they need Jesus but then list all the good things they do. Our Lord would not make such a confession despite His perfect life but instead asked “why do you call me good there is none good but the Father” for it was the Fathers life through Him not produced of or by himself.

Is His word in us?

John and the Word of Life: pillars part 12

1 John 1

1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

2(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)

3That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

4And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.

5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

6If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

With the phrase Word of life the apostle John makes a pretty good summery of His message to the church.

 John’s teaching is like an energy storm around an atom where it seems that an electron disappears and reappears further in its rotation. The other authors of the epistles are analytical dividing mercy, justification, redemption, salvation, righteousness, and life and dealing with each as to how it affects the whole. With John you better strap in cause it’s all one.

 Reading his epistles is like a jolt of static electricity that shocks you and leaves you stunned trying to understand what just happened. It is as if the Holy Spirit waits excitedly for your understanding to catch what has been said then plunges back into the storm.

The word of life which John speaks of is not ink on a page but it is instead a man that had the breath of God I Him. We read in ink the witness of both prophets and apostles of who He was but John saw his face when He was grieved and when He was joyful. Where we read the things He said; John has heard both compassion and sternness in His voice. He has tasted the fishes and loaves, seen leapers given new healthy flesh, heard the mourning for Lazarus changed to praise and astonishment, smelled the dirt and sweat and blood mingled at His crucifixion, and seen His resurrected body ascend into Heaven. With all these things experienced forming in John a knowledge of who His Messiah was his testimony is He is the Word of life.

If we ask a man to describe his life it is very likely we will hear about labor, accomplishment, achievements, family, or desires. However life is who you are; all the things we list when asked are the result of the life in us but they are not that life. The life in us is experienced. In this same way the description of life cannot bring us the experience of it.

Jesus said only the Spirit of a man can know a man. It is for this very reason that we have been made partakers of the Spirit of God, that we may know Him. The scriptures say also that from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Consider with me what this means.

Those who love deception speak deception. Those who love a lie speak lies. Those who desire to have honor of men speak flattery(this does not mean appealing to another’s vanity but to your own. If my vanity is that real men take what they want then my flattery may well be insulting and demeaning). If Messiah fills our heart we speak of Messiah.

If we see these things then we see that the living Word being the only begotten goes far beyond the creation in Mary’s womb. The Father spoke from that which was who He was; so because He is truth His Word is truth, because He is the vital force of life His Word is Spirit, and because the Father is I AM the existing one the being which we call life His word is life. The sum of these things is when the Father spoke he reproduced Himself. So before the foundations of the world the Son was born. All things where created by Him. One more thing to remember The Father does not have words as of many but the word as in one. The manifestation of that word through the prophets and later through the apostles is merely description of the Word who is the first and the last the beginning and the end.

So the express image who has said if you have seen me you have seen the Father Has also said me and my Father are one for I am in my Father and my Father is in me has become the word by which the life of the Father is restored into those who believe. Saying that we too shall be one and as such be one with the Father and the Son and also our brethren.

In short the Word of Life is born of the Father and is one in person with the Father but still His Son. It is by this same Living Word that we who by faith place ourselves in the death He endured can come into life. The same life that is in the Son, is living in us making us brethren and children of the Father.

The Word of life.

Peter's new heaven and new earth: pillars part 11

1This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

2That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

3Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

4And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

6Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

15And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

16As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

17Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

18But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.

Peter ends his epistle with an encouragement to set aside that which is of this temporary world and instead to trust the promises of YHWH of the new heavens and earth in which there shall be no corruption of any kind. This stirring up of our minds to the purity of belief in that which has been promised by both the prophets of old and the apostles of new is not without a warning of those things which will try to undermine that trust.

that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,… For this they willingly are ignorant of

I would suppose that any believer who has ever spoken about the Lords return has heard “that has been claimed for two thousand years and still the world goes on and He has not come.” Peter concludes two things about those who scoff at the scriptures warning and promise of a future judgment in which the things of this current world shall be done away with.

 The first is that such men are looking to obtain their own lust for the things of this current world.

The other is that they willfully ignore that the scripture is plain that the world of Adam, Cain, Seth, Enoch and all those who lived prior to the flood lived in a world that perished by that flood. The same word of God that tells us of these things tell us this present world shall be destroyed by fire in the day of judgment and loss of soul to ungodly men.

We hear the voice of men accusing God “If He is real, if He loves us why is there so much suffering in the world?” The answer is He is longsuffering and forbearing to the end that all men have the chance to repent. Despite this there is a set day when this present world of darkness will be consumed by His light and every soul not gathered into His life shall be no more for death itself will cease to be.

We by His promises look for this new heaven and earth in which only righteousness will be found. Since we look for this day of His perfect way then Peter stirs us to trust in Him to purge us and make us at peace with Him in the life that is of His breath.  For the life that is generated by the will and way of men is an enemy of God.

Peter warns "they make merchandise of you": pillars part 10

2 Peter 2

 1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

 4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

 6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

 7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

 10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.

 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

 12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

 14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

 17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.

 18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

 20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

From genesis to revelation men inspired by the Spirit of God have warned us of false prophets and their teachings. Peter also tells us that from the time Israel was a people false prophets have rose up and that it would be the same in the church.

Peter has told us at the end of the first chapter that the prophecy that is inspired of the Spirit of YHWH is not for private interpretation but to all men.

 When Moses said I have set before you life and death, blessings and cursing: therefor choose life that thou and thy seed may live. Does this apply only to the Jew or to everyman who hears His testimony? Yeshua makes it clear it is to all men when He says the greatest command is to give over all you are in love to YHWH. Moses witnessing by the same Spirit says to love YHWH in order to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and statutes and judgments.

In contrast the false prophet says YHWH has a secret that only a select few can have part in, that there message is special for those who hear them shall receive Gods blessings. They convince others that true believers agree with their message and cause separations among the children of YHWH. They draw men to themselves as a source of revelation and life with promises of gods favor and by such denies the Lordship of YHWH in themselves and those who hear them.

More damnable than the separation of the brethren into factions and groups is the separation from grace they cause. They teach that one must build themselves up into the things of God, but like the workers at the tower of Babel who believed they would build into heaven, they shall be confounded and scattered. Trust in man, either the self or another produce the works of the flesh, and causes the grace of the Fathers life in and through us to be frustrated. If we trust in ourselves to make our life we at the same time reject YHWH as our maker and life.

Despite this Peter warns that many will follow their destructive and killing ways. By covetousness they make merchandise of those whom they have charmed. Their desire is to take possession of what YHWH has given to you and then by words that pretend to honor God and care about their followers they take for themselves.

Paul has told us that such men despite their talk of heaven and grace and life have their own belly for their gods. They desire money, recognition, the honor of men, along with other things that are of men. They declare themselves blessed of God but by earthly standards. They are followed by those who have given their hearts desire to believe gain is godliness.

Search the scripture and find a lying prophet is accepted by those who preferred a lie to the truth. There is a vast difference between wanting to be blessed and desiring to be made one with YHWH.

Our self must be crucified in Messiah, baptized into His death, the resurrection of life must be by the Spirit making us to live, by self being gone and the abiding of the Father and His Son by the Spirit making us one, a new creation. If we are an improved self we are not dead in Him, we still are trying to make life come about by the flesh, and YHWH shares His glory with no flesh.

YHWH does not bless some because they are doing better for Him than others; He is no respecter of persons. We receive from YHWH because we stop trying to obtain and trust His word that He has given. These blessings are available to everyman who will trust Him. The blessings of YHWH are not our possession they are His, we are not our possession we are His, but YHWH has given Himself to us so He is our possession.

In the parable of the prodigal son the older brother stands outside the house offended at what His Father has given to his brother who neither had labored for his father nor been obedient. When his father comes to him asking why he is angry he tells him of his labor and how his father did not give to him. He finds himself rebuked that all the father had was his already simply to be possessed without earning it by labour.

Those who return to a life generated by man will and effort are like a dog who has purged himself of illness but by his unclean nature he returns to lap it up once more.

 

Peter's testimony: pillars part 9

2 Peter 1: 10-20

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

 11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

 12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

 13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

 14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

 15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

 16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

 17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

 18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

 19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

 20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

 

Some of the most powerful lessons in the scripture are given by those whom the Spirit is witnessing to that their time on earth is drawing to a close.

 Moses in Deuteronomy is imploring Israel again and again to abandon all trust in their own strength and rely fully on YHWH as their maker when He knows soon he will not be with them.

 Yeshua in the Gospel of John teaching, praying for, and reassuring by promises that when it seems He has been taken from us, when our expectations of what our life as His disciple will consist of are so devastated that we are left in sorrow and doubt of our relationship with Him that our faith will not fail. The result of what we see as a loss will have the result of our old life will die in Him but by His breath YHWH will share with us His life making us one. As the scripture says He gives beauty for ashes and joy for tears.

Pauls warning that when he is gone the church will be splintered by self-serving apostasy but that we must test the Spirits, know the scripture and entrust ourselves to YHWH to the end we occupy till our Lord returns.

It is said that the apostle John in the last days of his life in saying that when he was gone there would be no one left who had been a firsthand witness to our Masters life. It is said that over and over He would say little children love each other.

So it is with Peter that as he tells us that soon He will put off this earthly life in the same way that Yeshua had told him he would the thing most important to his heart to leave with us is to experience by our living the divine nature that is in us by faith in Messiah.

He does not give us a teaching or a warning but as He had several years before told a lame man “silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I to thee; in the name of Yeshua rise up and walk.”(Acts3:6) This event at the beginning of the work of YHWH done in Peter and his second epistle make for perfect bookends of the life of the prince of the apostles.

For in the detail given of the healing of this man’s physical body as Peters ministry began we see a perfect comparison for the things Peter shares with us now to stir our heart as that ministry is ending.

There was a man lame from his mother’s womb…The infirmities of our heart has been with us from the womb; the nature of Adams self-serving flesh has been passed through every generation. The nature of the self is seen in the actions of the most innocent of infants. Has it ever been recorded that an infant decided to be hungry for a few hours because their mother was exhausted. This is the separation of the self and separation is death.

An infant cannot sin because sin is to transgress a command but at the time a child is old enough to hide what they have done sin is present. This is the condition of every man.

We may come to some understanding of right and wrong or of desire and empathy but righteousness and compassion escape us like smoke held in our hand for at our core we are lame from our mother’s womb.

As with this man who was brought to the temple and expected to receive alms from those who passed him our churches are filled with Christians who attend church week after week hoping that someone will give them something that will help them cling to life. The thought of actually being able to walk in righteousness is far away from their minds they instead have relegated themselves to endure the failure forgiveness cycle that they see as their fate.

Peter speaks to all such believers and proclaims you have been made partakers of the divine nature as such rise up by faith in His life in you and that which was made a weakness in you from the womb will receive strength.

Peter has good reason to assure you that when you let go of trust in yourself to succeed or fail and instead place all trust in His Spirit to make you live and live in and through you.

He has seen with His own eyes the glory of YHWH shining forth from the Lord. It is not a story he has heard or been convinced of but with his own eyes he saw this thing. When Peter had elevated Yeshua to an equality with Moses and Elijah; YHWH Himself spoke to him from Heaven and commanded that Yeshua was His Son and to listen to Him.

Peter then concludes that this utterance from YHWH was not for those who heard it alone but that the things YHWH speaks is for all men.